The Remarkables shows how every child is extraordionary, through imaginative portraits of the absurd and the fantastical.
The Remarkables
Meet 38 extraordinary children: an electric child, a flying child, elastic, invisible, miniature, a child made of cake. Each child describes their characteristics, tells anecdotes, and presents the special powers that make them unique. A “class photo” brings everyone together with a quiz finale for readers to discover their own superpowers.
The Remarkables is a big book of fantasy and humor that entertains and provides a way to talk about emotions and identity. Through Perrin’s unique imagination, this inclusive encyclopedia celebrates individuality, strengths and differences, allowing every reader to explore what miraculous superpower they would wish for—or might have.
Known for her original lift-the-flap explorations of fairytale stories, Perrin here turns the lens onto her child readers, showing each one that they are a superhero.
Take the quiz to find out what kind of a remarkable child you will be!
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Book Details
Country of Origin France Reader Age 5-7 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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Poetry Box –
Clotilde Perrin is a fabulous French illustrator and author for children. Her new picture book The Remarkables: The Most Incredible Children I’ve Met – So Far! is a wonder. It is a super TALL, super INVITING, super INSPIRING read. And the illustrations are a perfect fit.
In a little speech bubble above a self portrait at the start of the book, Clotilde describes the genesis of the book: “On my travels I’ve been lucky enough to meet many children, all of them different, all of them remarkable. I’ve had the chance to talk to them and to play with them. Each one has told me about what makes them special, their superpowers, and their story—it was amazing!”
What an INCREDIBLE idea for a book! And I love the fact Clotilde says “so far” . . . because she knows she will meet more incredible children.
Here are just some we meet in the collection: the sunny child, flower child, giant child, splotchy child, feather child, calculator child, loving child, scribbly child, foldaway child.
The stories start from things Clotilde has heard – but these children also emerge from a writer’s imagination sparking and sparkling. WOW!
Each child gets a double page spread, enabling Clotilde to write and illustrate all the particular features. Expect fascinating things. Curious things. Exaggeration. Delight.
I rather like the wacky child who is a free spirit, a bit of a whirlwind and who is fizzing with joy. They doodle on everything! I also like the calculator child who is always counting things, adding up, being extra precise. And the cloud child with her head in the sky and whose parents keep windows shut so she doesn’t drift away. And the slanted child who doesn’t like straight lines and loves moving sideways. Oh! And the rooted child who is deeply rooted, like a plant in the ground, where they live.
I got musing that we are an incredible mix of things that create the incredible UNIQUENESS of who we are. This is a fabulous book that celebrates the glorious possibilities of being human – whether child or adult. A remarkable book indeed.
Red Reading Hub –
Having made an initial introduction on the title spread, Clotilde Perrin then gives readers a scene showing the abode of each of the thirty eight remarkable children she’s chosen to feature. Thereafter we meet them one by one; some are fantastical whereas others are far closer to reality but each of them has their special talent(s) depicted as a superpower. You will probably find similarities between The Electric Child, the Thunder Child, the Speedy Child and the Springy Child, each of whom has an excessive amount of energy. The same is true with the Sticky Child and the Rooted Child both of whom are reluctant to leave home though the former can get attached to friends whereas the latter always wants to remain close to its parents.
Imagine having both the Electric Child and the Thunder Child together in your home: they’d surely, as the latter says, ‘shake up the house’.
I found myself laughing at the comic strip style page of an encounter between the Immaterial child and the Diamond child whose home the former visited by passing through the wall, surprising the sparkly one and then inviting Diamond to a game of hide-and-seek.
I couldn’t resist choosing particular children I’ve taught over the years and then trying to match their personalities with characters portrayed in the book as well as immediately thinking of other individuals as I turned the pages: I’m pretty sure I’ve encountered each and every one of Clotilde’s Remarkables at one time or another.
Having met all thirty eight on the pages of this wonderfully quirky book, why not turn to the final spread and work out what type of child you are.
Teach Primary –
Dive into this stunning picture book to meet thirty-eight remarkable children and discover what makes them tick. Some are made of inkblots, some from roots or clouds, and many have unexpected viewpoints that really make us think. Explore their unusual worlds in a series of annotated illustrations packed with imaginative verve and style. Translated from the French, the text bubbles with humour and emotional insight, and startling perspectives and new ideas abound. There is plenty to engage with: older readers will be rewarded as well as younger ones, and the translator’s vocabulary choices are a particular delight. The Remarkables is a visual and verbal treasure-trove that will prompt imaginative projects and responses of all kinds. It’s also great for encouraging independent reading.
Stephen Connor –
Clotilde Perrin is a French illustrator whose eye-catching work will be best known to British readers through her books The House of Madam M, Gotcha! and Inside the Villains. Each title is unique and playful that children of all ages can enjoy exploring and revisiting the interactive moving elements of her work.
Perrin’s latest title to be translated into English is The Remarkables (Les Incroyables in the original French edition). While the illustrations are almost immediately identifiable as Perrin’s, the lift-the-flap elements are absent—but this is not at any cost to the reader’s enjoyment.
The Remarkables is a near-encyclopedia of children and their personalities, presented in the inimitable playful style that Perrin offers. We meet forty different children, such as the Thunder child (a loud, unpredictable and often uncontrollable person), the Invisible child (elusive, sometimes forgotten, and incredibly quiet), and the Grassy child (nature-loving and outdoorsy). Each child is illustrated with annotations as to their most noticeable features, and around the edges of each page are little vignettes to add detail to their personality: dreams for the future, particularly impressive powers, or likes and dislikes.
This is a book that could provide hours of enjoyment. Children will see themselves in more than one of the remarkable children created, and a sense of individuality and pride is sure to be developed too. Additionally, the book might allow children (and adults for that matter!) to empathise with those who are quieter, or struggle to control emotions.
The Remarkables is a book to be shared, enjoyed and discussed with children of all ages. For younger readers, they will enjoy the playfulness and silliness on some of the pages, while older readers will delight in the detail and rich vocabulary on offer.
It feels obvious to end by stating that The Remarkables is remarkable, but sometimes the most obvious things are true. A book to have in all primary classrooms!
The Letter Press Project –
This very imaginative, engaging and very funny picture book is published by Gecko and is now available from your local independent bookshop, who will be happy to order it if not already on their shelves.
Achuka –
The Remarkables is a big oversize book that entertains and provides a way to talk about emotions and identity. For that reason it should be at the top of every primary school’s purchase list for this term.
LoveReading4Kids –
This flamboyantly large, fantastically illustrated book introduces 38 extraordinary and unforgettable children. A full colour map-cum-index on the first spread shows us their homes, with page numbers. Perhaps it will tempt you to turn to page 54 to meet the Foldaway Child, or to page 28 and the Springy Child, or page 40 and the Flying Child, but better by far to read from start to finish as each child introduces themselves, starting with the Electric Child, ‘I’m a live wire!’. Across wonderfully varied pages they list their capabilities and give us extra insights into their personalities – favourite things, relationship with parents, what they like to get up to with their friends. Each page is a visual and imagination-sparking treat and the children, despite their amazing super-powers and traits, are supremely relatable. They’re all gathered for a group portrait at the end, and there’s a quiz to work out what sort of remarkable child you will be.
If you haven’t come across Clotilde Perrin’s books before, and even if you have, the gorgeousness of her stylish, detailed illustrations and limitless extent of her imagination in this book, is stunning.
The Bookseller (UK) –
The author of Inside the Villains paints a loving portrait of the children she has met and what makes them special with this large-format Picture Book about the icy child, the aquatic child and more. Fantastical yet observant (the diamond child doesn’t always find it easy being brilliant, for example) and beautifully illustrated, The Remarkables will appeal to die-hard Perrin fans, as well as families looking for a large-format gift title.